(no subject)

[goldtoes]

[ Traditional of the indigenous people of Sankharthali, a leader cuts his hair when he wages a war - a signal to the opposition of conflict.

Dhani's, when left loose and straight, moves about his feet thick and dark and coarse. His advisors pull it up out of his face and away from his temples, loosely contained so that it ought not to drag about the floor. When he's working in the fields alongside his people he has it pulled up in colorful fabrics.

Now, as he moves out of the archway and toward the stairs, it's pulled back and woven into place, ghosting at his ankles; he's dressed in bright, warm colors, saffron and reds and crimsons, a collection of loose, light robes with a headchain and hands, arms and ankles decorated in golden jewelry; his nose and lip are both pierced.

Flanked by a pair of bodyguards, he shoos them away and has them stand back as their guest arrives - he has no desire to be intimidating, even if they've dressed him up like a plaything. It's the best way to showcase the exports - precious metals, jewels, beautifully woven fabrics. It feels too ostentatious, still. ]

Welcome, my friend. It's an honor to have you visiting -- [ his hands are gentle and soft as he reaches out to take one of his new guest's, and his accent is cozy and warm. ]

Comments

[suncut]

[ The shedding has Umber snorting quietly under his breath. There's something absurd about it- treasures that could fund entire cities being passed so carelessly from hand to hand, but aside from that thought, the trinkets are hardly paid much mind. What really happens to catch Umber's eye is the flash of a weapon, his curiosity stirring. Pretty things are just that; pretty, and while his people have an appreciation for decoration, the heart of their attention tends to lie in practical objects. A bracelet is nice to look at, and can be traded for important goods when necessary, but a dagger, for example, is a lifeline.

Pallo is old and experienced enough that he finds no shame in treating himself to extra indulgences, so of course he's the one to perk up and express his interest in the hot spring. And all three of them will surely find themselves at the training grounds at some point. ]

You've done too much, really. There's no need to go so far with us. [ Umber has to say it, because the dining hall is something else. None of them quite expected such a spread.

Despite his protest, their familiar foods are a comfort, and the effort behind the gesture is endearing. Their home is fairly unforgiving and they've grown accustomed to working with what little the land provides. Most of their cuisine is made up of greens, seeds, root vegetables, small game. Fish are little and an uncommon treat, and large cuts of red meat even rarer. Anything out of the ordinary will absolutely catch their eye... Even Umber is eager to try some of the things that look new to him.

Damn Dhani and his overzealous preparation. ]

[goldtoes]

Perhaps not. But it's rare that we get guests; often I'm the one travelling elsewhere. [ Which is, of course, true - either he's travelling within his own borders or without, and rarely does anybody have any need for them.

Then again, anybody doesn't get to see the training grounds that Umber and his people will find later. Anybody doesn't get to see the precision of a crew of men and women who have been trained the same way Dhani has, in scimitar and hand to hand combat; anybody doesn't see the archers that can shoot a target nearly three hundred metres away, some on horseback. Everybody knows that Dhani refuses to engage in war.

What he doesn't say is how difficult this feast was to prepare - that, despite the spread, it took absolutely ages of arrangement - to have things brought in, to have them kept fresh and carted the long, long miles from home. He doesn't say how many strings he had to pull, how many favors.

He takes his seat not at the head of the table but across from Umber, making it especially clear that they are, as seems to be the case with him, welcome to anything and everything they might desire. ] If I'm being honest, I'm a touch too excited for the company, but what can I say?

[suncut]

Is it? [ The surprise in his voice is more obvious than he'd like. Umber and his own keep to themselves, of course, but that's mostly due to the difficult terrain boxing them in. Great for defense, though not so great when one of the primary methods in and out of the country is devastated. He'd assumed, though, that a massive kingdom such as this would be a hub of activity and foreign visitors.

Must not be much reason to travel to a place where there are no conflicts or issues to resolve.

Umber pauses in the middle of reaching towards a plate of nicely-arranged stuffed leaves, hand freezing in mid-air as he glances at Dhani, the empty seat at the head of the table, and then back again. He's learning that this ruler is... very informal. It's- different. How are his advisors not having a fit? Are they just as strange? Probably.

He clears his throat gently, placing a few of the leaf-rolls on to his plate at last. ] Your allies don't come to meet with you? To trade?

[ Probably for the best. If he goes to such lengths for all of his visitors, he'd have to sell all of his pretty gold things. ]

[goldtoes]

[ It helps, of course, that the advisors all know Dhani can handle himself. Dhani has never killed, but could if he needed to; Dhani has never drawn his blade in any way other than training or a playful spar. Dueling, for example, over the last chicken breast, or the last scone.

But Dhani's advisors know this. They let him do what he wants because he can be trusted to take care of himself. ] Rarely. I tend to be willing to meet in their territory, but we have few exports. Agricultural, primarily. Jewels and gold, but those are less in demand than things like rice. We are, for the most part, a very... mm. Humble. Country. A lot of farmers. Mining. Self-sufficient but not especially well positioned to trade.

LMAO THE LAST CHICKEN BREAST i feel that

[suncut]

[ It's such a strange arrangement. He nods slowly, his eyes averted as he browses the selection of things on the table. ] What's to stop them from taking your mines or your fields?

[ It's not a threat, not really. There's no need for it to be, yet. Dhani is very charming and startlingly generous, and Umber's intent in coming here wasn't to scare. But it's an important (if a little tense) question all the same. ]

THE SIBLING WAR the only war dhani has ever gotten into

[goldtoes]

[ Dhani's big brown eyes narrow a little, and when he smiles the dimples appear in his cheeks. ] An army.

[ And he's calm and easy as he says it, lifting a spoon of tabbouleh. He means it, though. They are disarmingly powerful, and ready to act on a moment's notice. ] It has, occasionally, happened. Not wars. But minor conflicts. There is a reason you don't hear much of them. They never get very far.

crush them dhani. never show mercy when it comes to snacks and siblings

[suncut]

You do have an army. [ Umber smirks, cutting a quick glance over at Marl, who snorts in to a cup as she drinks. She'd gotten in to a severe argument with one of their acquaintances back home. Their peer had insisted Dhani had no army, that there was no need because he simply bewitched any would-be enemies with dark magic, and that's why everyone adores him so much. She'd nearly lost her mind at how idiotic it'd sounded.

She may have been a little tipsy at the time.

A whole hidden army that can suppress threats before they become big news is enough to make Umber's chest flutter a bit all on its own, no magic needed. ] If you were to fight, you'd have to cut it, wouldn't you? [ He gestures at the hair. ] Or is that a tall tale?

[goldtoes]

I do. [ Dhani smiles again, peaceful and easy. Like he doesn't have the power to organize every able-bodied civilian into a makeshift militia in a period of under forty-eight hours.

He reaches up and runs his fingers through his hair. ] It's true, yes. A declaration of war. The woman who ruled some generations before me was nearly bald. She used to just shave it back to the skin. [ He huffs into his drink. ] But I don't tend to engage in conflict if I don't have to.

[suncut]

From one extreme to the other. [ It's said mildly, in an amused way- not meant to cut Dhani or the previous generations down. It's a funny contrast is all, and he can't help but think the bald woman would have fit right in with some of Umber's own. He'd probably have taken a shine to her. Strength is always magnetic.

Then again, here's one sitting right across from him. Hair to the floor and still holding down a country, what? Three, four times the size of his own? That has to be some sort of strength too... Umber just isn't completely sure of how it clicks with him yet. ] What if the one you marry isn't as peaceful? [ Strange enough to have an unwed omega ruling on his own for so long, and over such a large plot of land... What happens when he's claimed, then? Does that even matter here? Would the alpha he's bound to even have any right to rule? ]

umber's whole ass life is a Mess.

[goldtoes]

[ Dhani's eyes narrow and he laughs. ] She taught me how to handle a blade. She left me in good standing, I can promise you that.

[ He's calm and casual in everything he does, as he tears a piece of brown bread apart with his fingers and dips it into seasoned oil; beneath the table, he crosses his ankles. ] Compromise is everything. I choose diplomacy, but in saying that, whoever - if ever - I were to marry, there's room for that. It wouldn't be much a relationship if I chose otherwise, no? But then, also, I wouldn't choose to marry somebody who was a warmongering maniac, either.

If it comes to war, well - [ another piece of bread as he thinks. ] Even the farmers here can fight with their tools. The hair goes when it's time to go.

he...... yes.....

[suncut]

If ever? [ Oh, that's. Something.

Unlike his companions, Umber's all but forgotten about the lovely buffet right under his nose. He tilts his head in a curious, puppyish manner, leaning against his arms folded atop the table. Strange Dhani has gone and captured all of his attention. ] You can just- choose to do that? [ Or not do that... That, of course, being marriage. Children. The whole package, whatever. ]

cackles

[goldtoes]

Of course I can. I simply haven't chosen to yet. Or, rather, haven't found anyone the chemistry is - just there with. [ Dhani folds his hands under his chin and sets his eyes on Umber, instead, and if they were alone at the table it might be like a scene out of a romance. For now, it's just fascination. ]

My mother was in her late thirties when she had me, for instance. I've been busy. Crushes, here and there, but nothing I've elected to pursue. And no-one that has pursued me has really caught my eye, so there you have it.

his pikachu will never have an unsurprised face ever again

[suncut]

[ There's something absurd about the whole image. Colorful, cheerful Dhani denying suitors just because he can. On his own? He assumes it's on his own. No one speaks for him otherwise, why would they suddenly switch it up and tell him who to marry? Umber can't help laughing, because... because, what. Where is he? What sort of omega is this? It's so bizarre on this side of the continent. ]

Suppose that's good for us, anyhow. If we make an arrangement, there's no worry of someone coming along and ruining it. [ It's a reason why single omega leaders are avoided, back home. No one needs to suffer through a fallout of broken policies that comes from an alpha taking over and uprooting previous decisions. Better to just not put themselves in that position in the first place.

Not that it seems to matter here. Dhani can do whatever he likes and rule alone until his dying day, if that's what he wishes. Wild. ]

(•ิ_•ิ)?

[goldtoes]

[ Dhani bubbles with laughter when Umber does, bright and songbird-melodic. It's atrocious. The whole thing is terrible, and Dhani is terrible in how much unlike any other leader most people have dealt with. ]

Exactly. Politics are easier this way. And having choice in who we marry is something we've valued for a very long time - I don't imagine it's going to change soon. And when I find my person...

[suncut]

Still time. You don't look near your thirties. [ Dhani doesn't seem all that bothered or in a hurry, but he says it anyway.

And finally, Umber seems to remember food exists and that he should be eating it. Which is a wonderful thing, because Pallo sort of wants to die, what with all their chattering and stargazing across the table at each other. Hideous. He even goes so far as to pass Umber a basket of bread, hoping he'll take some and plug his mouth with it.

Bait taken. ]

[goldtoes]

[ Laughter, still. ] Twenty-two. So no, I have time. And I'd still carry children into my thirties, to be fair. Large families are also... a cultural tradition, to be fair, so you go as long as you can, as things tend to work around here.

[ Poor Pallo. His life. Dhani spares him a look and a wink (although one of the guards is eyeing Pallo from someplace down the other end of the table, too.) ]

[suncut]

[ Pallo enjoys the moment of peace while Umber chews at a wad of bread, and nearly sucks a candied almond down his own throat once he catches sight of the look and wink. Dhani apparently knows exactly what he is doing and is damn shameless about it... Marl, on the other hand, thinks the entire moronic boy-circus is hilarious. Male alphas are so easily flustered, it's the best sort of entertainment. She's decided she mostly likes this wicked oddball.

Umber's too set on searching the dining hall to bother with Pallo's slow and agonizing emotional death. He's glancing at many of the faces nearby, searching for features similar to Dhani's. If large families are traditional, there must be more of him around here? ] Where are the rest of them, then?

[goldtoes]

Ah, scattered about. My mother started late, as you know, but I'm the eldest of six. My brother mostly mans the training grounds with one of my sisters, and I can introduce you as well. The youngest are twins, a jeweler and a tailor that tend to operate in tandem, currently working on wedding attire. My middle sister - [ he points here to the huntress who's got her chair turned round at one of the tables with a mug of ale, her hair cut short and cropped - ] well, I think she could shoot an ant off an apple if you asked her to.

[ The middle child waves at them, and Dhani waves back. She looks like him, just as soft in the features with a wide nose and large eyes, the same trimmed half-brows Dhani sports. The hair is exclusive to leaders, though, once in warring tribes and now in cities, countries, armies. ] Six is small, admittedly, for families here. I imagine it comes out of the tradition of both needing children to work on the farms and in the mines, but also the sheer fact that maybe half of them would make it to adulthood. You'd hate to lose all of them. So... you have backups.

[suncut]

[ Their own families tend to run a bit smaller than these do, apparently, but they too know the necessity of having spares, so he nods in understanding. There had been a third brother in Umber's family, once upon a time. Two siblings had seemed maddening enough, he can only imagine what five would have been like. Interesting, for sure.

He's not sure he'll have the opportunity to meet all of them, but the huntress is an absolute necessity at the very least. ] I'll hold her to that. I hope she likes to gamble. [ Mastery of a ranged weapon, whether a bow or bolas or anything in between, is damn near essential where Umber is from. Of course the trio will want to see her skills in action. Perhaps they can rope the two at the training grounds in as well. Make it an all around mini-tournament.

Wait until they realize Dhani can give them all a run for their money just as well. ]

[goldtoes]

[ Dhani's cousin is preparing to birth his seventeenth child, back in their home village - six is small for them, indeed. But it's a matter of necessity, and it seems Umber approaches it from a place of understanding, which is something he appreciates - wealthier nations have responded with alarm, places where you might have one, two, three at most.

But he's laughing, again. ] She does. She can also drink me under the table, so take from that what you will. We were always close, growing up, and now she leads our hunters here in the main city - they all report to her, and for good reason. Our stablehands do, as well, and the hands who work our livestock.

I know I promised to show you your quarters, and that's still a standing offer, but if you're so inclined, we can visit the training grounds tonight as well, before you retire.

[suncut]

A quick visit wouldn't hurt. [ Quick visit nothing. Once he's there, he'll likely end up staying at least an hour or so, browsing the set-up and perhaps working off a bit of the extra energy that's bound to flare up after his food settles. The same can be said for the others as well.

This trip certainly isn't unfolding how Umber thought it would, but there are no complaints. Hopefully the experience will continue to run smooth and pleasant once they sit down do discuss the weighted issues- though based on what he's witnessed so far, it's difficult to imagine Dhani as unpleasant in any sort of way. ]

[goldtoes]

[ Dhani looks perfectly satisfied by this, and nods. He's been sort of grazing on the last of his food, sipping at juice they had squeezed just that afternoon, and... as he's about to speak, his sister walks past and bops him in the head with her bow, catching the end in a long strand of hair and pulling it loose from its tie.

He stares into the far distance for a moment, into some sort of void, and then exhales a dramatic sigh. ] War never changes.

Pardon her, but you'll like the others. She's the worst one of us. The baby of the family has a fork scar from years ago, thanks to her. I'll have someone let Mal'aat know we're coming or he'll be busy, with our luck, if we show up unexpected.

[suncut]

[ The sister catches Umber's eye, and he glances up to watch her pass just in time to see her bop her brother with the bow. Her brother, who only rules the entire place.

He's not sure what's funnier- the whole concept, or the thousand-yard stare Dhani's stuck with for a moment. Whichever it may be, it leaves him with a broad grin. ] She's absolutely feral. [ Fork scars, bow assaults at the table. Umber is very entertained. He's only met two of the six so far, and he's already stunned at how... lively they are.

How did their mother manage? ]

I'll believe that one was the worst, but should I be warned of anything before meeting this next one? [ There won't be forks there, at least... Hopefully. ]

oi this got long

[goldtoes]

She is, as I said, the worst. [ Dhani rubs his face with both hands, existentially tired, but with a fondness to it in the way he shakes his head and smiles. ] But being the middle child in a family like ours will... absolutely do that to you.

[ They're all a tad strange, to be fair. The twins share a mind, and tend to talk in unison or finish each others' sentences and paragraphs; Mal'aat is quiet and stoic, and their other sister is a fierce, talented bladeswoman who is especially harsh on her students.

Dhani, though, rises once they've all had a chance to finish eating, to chatter and settle in a bit, and they begin the wander back to the grounds. He refers to them as if they're a small little outfit, but in reality there are barracks, stables, a smithy and a fletcher, an expanse of acres upon acres of land walled in by stucco and stone and tile. ]

Mal'aat is quiet, but he's... er. Domesticated, [ he's talking as they move through bright, open corridors, some with open arches that sprawl into courtyards and gardens and fountain; his hair sweeps breezily along behind him. ] Something tells me none of you are startled by scars, so I don't feel the need to warn you about that. Just because he's quiet doesn't mean he's annoyed, he's just --

[ Used to being spoken over, mostly. Dhani has alerted a guard to pass the message along as they leave the dining hall, so it's reached the sprawling plains of war-games long before they've arrived. And, for all the peace of his kingdom, the strength they have shows here; something like two-hundred strong are doing drills in strict formation, the orders being shouted in their native tongue by a woman through a horn taken from a yak; others are scattered about the grass, drinking water and finishing evening meals and pottering about causing trouble. Archers long across the hills work on their aim.

Atop a dark kathiawari horse with a bald white face, Mal'aat approaches once he notices them (which takes... longer than it should.) The sides and back of his head are shaved, the rest of it pulled into a neat tie to keep it out of his face - the left half is mottled pink with burn scar and a clouded eye, and the discoloration disappears down under his clothing. There's a quiver on his hip, as if he'll need it here, and a water skin on the other side. He nods, curt. ] Dhani.

[ Dhani, in turn, seems hardly put off by the shortness and steps back to grandly introduce his new friends by name, and then sets off chattering about the bird (Mal looks maybe a fraction interested in what his brother is on about, and rather seems to be quietly analyzing their visitors.) ] --anyway, I've had the carpenter send off already, so --

[ Is he still talking? He's still talking. ]

LMAOOO mal has like 1 word for every 60 of dhani's, i love them

[suncut]

[ Magnetic as Dhani is, Umber thinks he'd pick the feral sister first if they ever need to split up in to teams of some sort. She's ruthless, and the others fear her. Definitely top choice.

The next brother being described as domesticated causes him to snort quietly. And as it turns out, he's as enchanting as the rest of them in his own way- the scar dominating an entire half of his face is attention-grabbing, naturally. Umber is impressed rather than disturbed, as are the other two. Scars are a testament of strength and survival, generally something to be worn without shame. There are exceptions, of course- scars given for punishments, or scars that are self-inflicted in an attempt to gain clout. But those circumstances likely don't apply here.

Once Umber has satisfied at least a portion of his curiosity with Mal'aat, he turns back to gawking at the grounds, subtly taking a quick head count and assessing the skills he sees being displayed. Meanwhile, Marl nods in greeting, and Pallo attempts to gain the pretty horse's attention by clicking his tongue.

Dhani could probably talk for days, but Umber manages to slip in there somewhere. ] Is this every day? These drills?